Eaton Bray keep up the pace as Eggington slump to the bottom

Toby Lock

Eaton Bray kept their chances of retaining the Four Counties Division 1 crown alive with a straight forward win over New City.

Sitting fourth in the table after back-to-back defeats, the champions needed stop the rot against New City, who sit in the relegation zone, and it’s exactly what they did with a 136 run triumph.

Posting a strong 226-8, Eaton Bray skittled the visitors in just 25 overs, bowling them out for just 90. The result means they are within 39 points of league leaders Thurleigh.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Eggington Foresters dropped to the bottom of Division 2 with a thumping at the hands of league leaders Westcroft.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Eggington didn’t last long in the middle - just 27 overs in fact. With just two batsmen in double figures, Westcroft made short work of them, bowling the visitors out for just 61.

And Westcroft were in no mood to mess around with the chase. Despite losing two wickets, they needed just 34 balls to see off the total, with Andrew John scoring 41 before losing his wicket.

The result sees Foresters sit bottom of the pile, 14 points from safety after eight games.

Ivinghoe & Pitstone and Milton Bryan continue to lead the way in Division 3, with both taking victory to keep up the pace at the top.

In an afternoon of low scores, Greg Roach took 4-29, with Robert Gregory taking 3-10 as Ivinghoe made light work of ShenleyChurch End, reducing them for 96.

With Badricks Jonny (20) and Darren (39) setting them in motion, Ivinghoe needed just 16.5 overs to secure the victory and keep hold of top spot.

Milton Bryan (196-5) kept the gap to 29 points though as they saw off Whichurch (195-5) by five wickets.

Bottom club Stoke Hammond picked up their first win of the season, but it was close towards the end.

Bowling out Cranfield for just 138, the chase was going well, but a glut of wickets fell leaving the final pair to hit the winning runs for Stoke Hammond (139-9) to win by the single wicket. The result doesn’t shift them from the foot of the table though.